The tech tycoon has previously threatened to shut down the communications system that Kievs forces depend on

Kiev's European backers want to replace Elon Musk's Starlink service in Ukraine, but no local provider can match its capabilities, Politico reported on Monday, citing the French-British satellite operator Eutelsat. Brussels is reportedly concerned that Musk could shut down the service and disrupt Ukrainian military communications.

Musk, a major ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and CEO of SpaceX (which operates Starlink), has donated more than 40,000 satellite internet terminals to Kiev since 2022. Ukrainian forces have come to rely heavily on the system for battlefield operations. SpaceX has also provided access to Starshield, a more secure, military-grade version of the network.

While Vladimir Zelensky's government initially saw Musk as a key supporter, relations have soured as the tech billionaire became increasingly critical of Kiev's war effort.

Tensions peaked after Musk denied Ukraine's request to activate Starlink over Crimea, reportedly thwarting a planned drone strike against Russian ships. Last month, Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that "the Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army," warning that "their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off."

Politico reported that EU officials now view Musk's growing criticism of Ukraine as a threat to the reliability of Starlink. Brussels is said to be in talks with several companies, including Eutelsat, to explore alternatives. Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke confirmed discussions about EU funding for user kits and additional satellite launches to boost capacity.

"[Working with Starlink] is a dependence that can be decided in the White House or Mar-a-Lago. It's good to have multiple options," Berneke told the outlet. However, she acknowledged that no provider comes close to matching Starlink's scale. Starlink operates around 7,000 satellites, compared to Eutelsat's 600. Depending on the scenario, Starlink offers 23 to 490 times more capacity over Ukraine.

"If we were to take over the entire connectivity capacity for Ukraine and all the citizens, we wouldn't be able to do that," she admitted.

European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier confirmed the initiative, telling Politico that "discussions are indeed ongoing at [the] EU level, with the member states and with the industry."

Starlink's constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites offers high-speed, low-latency internet-crucial for frontline coordination and drone warfare. Since 2019, Starlink has dominated the satellite internet market, launching more satellites than any competitor. While rivals like Eutelsat, Amazon's Project Kuiper, and Canada's Telesat have recently stepped up investment, they still lag far behind-making it unlikely the EU can provide a viable substitute anytime soon.

(RT.com)